When my mother was off work battling breast cancer last year, she decided it was a good time to dust off the spinning wheel she’d bought the year before, and really learn how to use it.
She took to it very quickly and was quite a competent spinner in no time. But she’s also a bit of perfectionist. For the first few months, it was very easy to sweet-talk her out of the skeins she felt weren’t quite right (whether spun a little too uneven or plied a little too loose.)
This skein was one such. Mom wasn’t happy with the plying, and I adored the colours so home it came with me.
Because it was one of her earlier efforts, the fiber is Corriedale - great for a practicing spinner, but not all that soft. There was no way I was going to be able to knit something to wear around my neck. But it was just perfect for a hat!
Personally, I love handspun hats - and this pattern is perfect for them. The star-shape allows their self striping nature to shine. A seed stitch brim and snug twisted ribbing give it a nice sturdy brim in a style that suits almost everyone.
And since I had enough left yarn left over, I whipped up a pair of coordinating fingerless mitts. The handspun makes them the perfect thing to ward of winter’s chill. (Mitt pattern is included!)